Getting to Senior - Taking Ownership Without Leading Projects

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Nov 18, 2025

The discussion centers on the often misunderstood concept of ownership in advancing to senior engineering roles. Ownership isn't just about leading projects; it's about adopting a mindset of accountability. The phrase 'What now?' serves as a guiding principle, encouraging engineers to think proactively. The host breaks down how expectations shift across experience levels and highlights the importance of turning identified problems into actionable solutions. Emphasizing personal responsibility, the conversation motivates engineers to demonstrate ownership in their daily work.

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INSIGHT

Ownership Exists On A Gradient

Ownership is a gradient that increases with seniority and experience.
Expect more ownership as you move from entry level toward senior roles.

ANECDOTE

Early Engineers Work Under Guidance

Interns and entry-level engineers often work under close guidance and perform well-defined tasks.
Senior engineers pair and review to help juniors become more autonomous.

INSIGHT

Ownership Is Behavior, Not Role

People often mistake ownership for being assigned a full project or tech lead role.
True ownership is a behavior shown across actions, not a specific assigned scope.

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If you're an engineer looking to move into a senior role, you have likely heard that you need to demonstrate "ownership". Unfortunately, this crucial term is often poorly defined and leads to a major misconception: that ownership means being assigned a full project or a Tech Lead role. I want to dispel that myth and explain why ownership is actually a necessary behavior and mindset shift, applicable in almost every action you take, regardless of whether you’re leading a project.

Understand why ownership is a critical aspect of moving along your career track, especially for engineers moving from the associate or mid-level engineer role up to senior.
Uncover the misconception that ownership requires a specific scope of responsibility, such as owning a project or a deliverable.
Discover the crucial phrase that defines the ownership mindset: "What now?" or "What next?" which should guide you through every situation you encounter.
Learn why true ownership is not about inherently knowing every technical detail or executing every step, but about being willing to take responsibility and accountability for figuring out what happens next.
Explore how a senior engineer's ownership behavior means translating identified problems (like those found in a retro) into action or decisions, thereby ensuring things continue moving forward and don't stall out.
I explain that engineers show ownership by choosing to opt in to be held accountable for outcomes, rather than waiting for a manager to intervene or ask for a status update.

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